Funding a development group could reinvigorate Portsmouth production line - Liam Daish

That’s the verdict of Liam Daish, who is convinced an under-21/23 side would create the pathway so glaringly absent for young prospects.

The former lead professional development phase (PDP) coach is concerned that once a player graduates from the Blues’ Academy, promising progress can halt.

Instead of providing an environment where they are allowed to develop and mature over a longer period, youngsters are often released.

And Daish, who quit his Academy role at the season’s end, believes the introduction of a development group at Fratton Park is imperative.

He told The News: ‘In my five years it was always coming up against the same situation, the same scenarios, such as not having that bridge from 18s to the first-team.

‘With the expectation of the club, the supporters, everyone around it, I understand it might be difficult to throw kids in at 18. It is at any club, but maybe Pompey a bit more because of the desperation to get out of League One.

‘So we need a pathway, a bridge between the 18s and first-team where these players can develop, where they can grow.

‘Maybe they are not ready at 18, but give them time, give them a couple of years, give them that next step of development, and I think you’ll be very surprised.

‘Looking at players here in the past, especially during my time, the ones released have, to be fair, all gone on to try to make their way on a different pathway because they've had to.

‘The pathway here ends at 18 and the only alternative is putting them into non-league clubs, which is fine, I get that – but if we could have kept that in-house and created a strong under-21/23 group then we could have seen the fruits of it.

‘Josh Flint has been promoted with Volendam and will be playing in the Dutch top flight next season. He’s a great example of having patience and belief in your own, giving them a year or two, helping them mature, helping them develop.

‘I always say at 18 they have the scaffolding up, but haven’t done the blockwork. Then, at 20-21, it starts to come in and the player looks a little more able to play league football.

‘What happens is, and I know this from first hand, you can get a little lost as a player, you can think “What am I doing?”. And it’s hard.

‘It’s important we don’t think you’re the ready-made product at 18. You are not. There aren't many 18 year-olds out there like that, it’s very rare.

‘We’ve got players to a really good place, some stepped into the EFL Trophy and they've held their own and done well, but there’s no pathway, there’s not the next challenge.

‘If you are doing well in the 18s, there has to be the next challenge.’

A development group has long been mooted by Pompey, although 12 months ago Greg Miller insisted it was not on their ‘immediate radar’.

Indeed, during Daish’s five years at Fratton Park, he is adamant the issue has not been discussed with him.

He added: ‘Having an under-23s group is a financial commitment, I am not disputing that, of course it’s financial, but other clubs seem to do it, other clubs seem to believe in it.

‘I have never seen anything or had any meetings about having one. It was never really discussed with me present, I never heard anything that was solid.

‘Yet it’s something that could have been done, it could have been seriously thought about. You want to see progression – and that would have been a big marker.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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